Family fun at free park peace festival

A FAMILY festival that has become a stalwart of the summer calendar in Sheffield is returning for a ninth year.

Peace in the Park – which offers music, entertainment and food free of charge – will be held at the Ponderosa Park, Netherthorpe, on Saturday, June 9.

This year, people can learn more about peace movements across the world with a new exhibition from the Peace Museum in Bradford, enjoy DJ sets from top acts or acoustic music as well as trying healing techniques.

Hundreds of biodegradable balloons will be released and a special one minute of ‘noise for peace’ celebrated across the entire festival.

Barney Harris, festival secretary, said: “If you want to experience Sheffield at its best, then come to Peace in the Park.

“A lot of the energy that goes into making it happen is voluntary and I think this goodwill really comes across on the day and creates a special atmosphere.

“It’s an amazing phenomenon which survives through the good people of Sheffield donating their time and skills to realise the common goal of promoting peace in a fun and accessible way.”

The festival began in 2003 as a protest against the war in Iraq and has grown ever since.

Barney said: “We live in a politically unstable and at times violent world, as recent events in Syria and Libya demonstrate, so the original message of the festival remains relevant today.”

Revellers can spread their own message of peace at the festival in the Speaker’s Corner, while the dance tent, hosted by Sheffield’s Sequoia sound system, will also be bigger this year.